Machine for cutting fruit into cubes



Jan. 5,1926. n y

` R. wlcKop `lAiCHINE FOR' CUTTING FRUIT INTO CUBBS Filed Jan. 22. 1925 Patented .l 5, 1926. y

ROBERT WICKOF, OF LEUTHEN, GERMANY.

MACHINE ron CUTTING FRUIT INTO cunas.

Applicationaled January 22, 1925. serial No. 3,909.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT WIcKoP, a citizen of the German Republic, residing at Leuthen, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Fruit into Cubes (for which I have filed application for' atent in Grermany Jan. 19, 1924), of whic the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for cutting into cubes onions, carrots and otheru fruit. The invention consists in that the fruit is pressed by a knife cross of a toothed crown against the cutting disk, this toothed crown rotating with the fruit only at half the speed at which the' cutting disk rotates andl 1n 'opposite direction as this cuttingv disk, two rows of furrow knives being arranged' on the cutting disk at adistance of 180 the one from the other land a cutting knife behind the l furrow knives so that grooves are cut into the fruit by the second row of furrow knives at an angle of 900 to the grooves cut bythe first row of furrow knives, the cutting knife cutting ofi' small va cutting knife follows on each row of furrow knives the machine maybe used for cutting the fruit into strips. n

Two embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawing, in which:- Fig. 1 isa vertical longitudinal section through the middle of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation. l Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the centre of the cutting disk. e n

i Fig. 4 is avertical longitudinal section and partly .a side elevation of another form of construction of the machine.. y

The castfiron frame 1 of the machine has two feet 2 and 3 to be fixed by screws on a table plate and a charging cylinder-4to be filled with fruitto be cut. This charglng cylinder 4 is open at the upper end and its outlet orifice is subdivided into two parts. A loose half-ring 7, the fianges 5 and 6 are fixed by means of screwson the cast iron frame, has bearing lugs 8 in which an axle 9 is journaled. Into the half-ring and the cast iron frame an vannular groove 10 is arranged in which a toothed crown` 11 is loosely and revolubly mounted so` that the teeth project from the-groove; Between the char ing cylinder 4 and the feet 2 and 3 the riving shaft 12 is journaled in the cast iron frame, saidpshaft being4 rotated by means of a crank handle 13 and carrying a toothed wheel 14 which ears with the toothed crown 11 drawing thls toothed-crown along lat the'ratio of 2 x 1. On the front end,ofshaft 12 a cutting disk 15 is keyed which moves along the toothed crown 11. The toothed crown l11 forms a ring and carries a knife cross 16 composed of several knives which cross one another at right angles. A pressing plug'. 17 is mounted in the charging cylinder and guided by two lateral bolts 18 in longitudinal grooves 24 of the charging cylinder 4. The guide bolts 18 are preferably of angular cross section in order toA prevent jammingv of the `presser plug in the cylinder. Over the outer round end of each guide bolt 18 a bow-shaped lever 19 grips b means of its arc-shaped guide slot 20 sai two levers -19 being xed on Ithe axle 9 adapted to Abe rotated by means of a hand lever 21 keyed on saidaxle so that the levers 19 oscillate and move thus the presserplug 17 to and fro.

On the cutting disk 15 two rows of furrow knives 22 are arranged displaced 180 .the one to the other. The knives stand perpendicular to the plane of the disk and are of little height. `The height of these furrow knives determines the hei ht of the cubes to be cut off or the depth o the grooves to be cut into the fruit. The knives extend closely tothe side surface of the toothed crown 11 half a revolution for each rotation of the i driving shaft l12 the second row of furrow knives cuts grooves into the fruit at 90 to the grooves cut by the lfirst row of furrow knives.- The cutting disk 15 carries further a cutting knife 23 which projectsat an acute angle from the surface of the disk so that its cutting edge reaches closely .to the outer surface of the toothed crown 11. This cutting knife follows behind the second row of` furrow knives 22 and cuts ofi:l the layer of the fruit which has rooves crosswise so that small cubes drop o When the machine is used the lever 2 1is first raised whereby the pressing vplug is moved to the rear end of the charging cylinder 4. Into the front part of the cylinder, 4 the fruit is filled Whereupon the hand lever 21 is depressed and the crank handle 13 rotated. The machine is therefore rotate with the split ring. The

fruit can further 'be advanced after every cutting and at the cutting and rotating of the fruit the pressure can be interrupted.

The pressure on the pressing member must be so strong that the onion is pushed through the knives of ring 11 up to the surfaceof the cutting disk 15 which is rotated and has two rows of knives 22 arranged in radial directions and spaced 180 the one from the other. These knives stand erpendicular on the surface of the cutting isk and cut into the onion projectin vfrom the ring 11. As the second row of nives is displaced 180 with regard to the first row of knives and as the split ring 11 with the fruit rotates only at half the speed of the cutting disk the onion has been rotated 90 with regard to the sition in which the knives of the first row ave cut into it when the knives of the second row begin to' cut. The cuts made by the knives of the second row are perpendicular to those made by the knives of the first row. On the second row of knives 22 folbevel wheel 26 has a fiange 28.

wheel 14 loosely mounted on shaft 27 has a lows on the knife disk the knife 23 the cutting edge of which extends close to the split ring and cuts ofi' the portion of the onion which projects from the split ring and has been cut crosswise by the knives 22.4 The cut off por-4 tion of the onion is a disk which has been cut crosswise and separated into cubes.

In the form of construction of the machine shown in .Fig 4 the cutting disk is horizontall arranged. This form of construction of t e machine is sim ler as the charging cylinder is vertical so t at the fruit can be advanced by the action of a simple pressing plug. The driving shaft 12 ]ournaled in the cast iron frame 1 carries a bevel wheel 25. This bevel wheel meshes with the bevel wheel 26 loosely mounted on a shaft 27 vertically mounted* in the cast iron frame.' The A toothed fiance 29. The two fianges 28 and '29 are rigidly connected the one with the other by means of screws and the cutting disk 15 is clamped between the two flanges and connected with the same b screws. The bevel wheel 26, the cutting dis 15" andthe toothed wheel 14 are thus rigidly connected with one another. The toothed wheel 14 meshes with the toothed crown 11 which is loosely and rotatably mounted in an annular groove 10 of the charging cylinder 4, the lower part of this charging cylinder being composed of two parts, one half of the annular groove being arranged in the half ring 7 fixed by means of flanges 5 and 6. A hand-operated plug 17 serves to press the fruit filled into the cylinder 4 onto the knife cross 16 of the toothed crown 11. A protecting cover 30 covers the cutting disk 15. This protecting cover is mounted on the vertical shaft 27 and clamped between the toothed wheel 14 and the bearing of shaft 27.

' The operation of this machine of modified construction is almost similar to that described with reference to the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In order to vcut into the fruit straight crossing grooves instead of arc-shaped grooves .it is necessary to rotate the toothed crown 11 or 11 with the fruit in the same direction as the cutting disk. With this ob- `ject in view an intermediate wheel is inserted between the toothed wheel 14 or 14 and the toothed crown 11 or 11 or between the toothed wheels 25 and 26.

When the fruit has to be cut into strips instead of cubes a cutting disk having onl one row of furrow knives or a cutting dis having one cutting knife for each row of furrow knives has to belused.

I claim 1. A machine for cutting fruit in cubes, comprising in combination a cast iron franie, feet of said frame designed to be fixed by screws on a table, a charging cylinder yhaving an annular groove, a toothed Crown loosely mounted insaid'annular groove so that its teeth project from the groove, a knife cross in said toothed crown, a drivin shaft mounted in said cast iron frame and driving said knife cross frame, a cutting disk on the driving shaft, two rows of furrow knives on said cutting disk standin perpendicular to the surface of the disk an displaced of 180 the one to the other, these knives being of such a height that they move closely along the plane of said toothed crown, a cutting knife radially mounted in said cutting disk at an angle to the plane of said cutting disk, and a pressing plu in said charging cylinder designedsto press t e fruit against said cutting disk.

2. A machine for the cuttin of fruit into cubes, comprising in combination a cast iron frame, two feet of said frame adapted to be fixed b means of screws on a table, a charging cy inder havin an annular oove, a

toothed crown loose y and revolub y mounted in said annular groove so that its teeth pro3ect from said groove, a knife cross in said toothed crown, a driving shaft mounted in said cast iron frame at the sideof said charging cylinder, a toothed wheel on said.

shaft meshing with the` toothed crown and rotating the same at the ratio 2 x 1, a cutting disk on saidv driving shaft rotating alongv said toothed crown, two rows of furrow knives vertically mounted on said cutting disk and displaced 180 the one to the other, said knives being of such a height that they move closely along the outer surface of said toothed crown, a cutting knife radially in- ROBERT WICKOP. 

